Lesson 13: Walk Wisely in Evil Times (Ephesians 5:15-21)
Living in evil times, we walk wisely as we discern the will of God and seek to be filled with the Spirit. We choose wisdom rather than foolishness and drunkenness. Filled with the Spirit, we gather as people who sing and make melody to the Lord through speaking the Psalms to each other, giving thanks to God, and submitting to one another. Paul’s language arises from Proverbs and the Psalms, which still guide and form the people of God. The wisdom and worship of Israel continues in the assembly of Israel’s Messiah, Jesus.
While the first half of Ephesians (chapters 1-3) narrates the mystery of God who choses us in Christ and indwells us by the Holy Spirit, the second half of Ephesians (chapters 4-6) encourages us to embody this mystery by walking in a way worthy of the life into which God has called us. There is a contrast between walking as gentiles walk in the way of the nations (Ephesians 2:2; 4:17) and walking in the good works for which God created us (Ephesians 2:10). Ephesians 4:17-6:9 characterizes this godly walk in this way:
- Walk in love as imitators of Christ (Ephesians 5:2)
- Walk as children of light rather than in darkness (Ephesians 5:8)
- Walk in wisdom rather than foolishness (Ephesians 5:15)
The structure of Ephesians 5:15-6:9 looks something like this:
Be careful how you walk
not unwise, but wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil
On account of this,
don’t be foolish, but discern the will of the Lord
don’t get drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit
speaking
singing and making melody
giving thanks
submitting to one another
Wives, [submit] to husbands as to the Lord
Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church
The profound mystery: union in 5:31-33
Children, obey your parents in the Lord
Parents, raise up your children in the Lord
Slaves, obey your masters as to the Lord
Masters, do the same to your slaves.
Ephesians 5:15-6:9 calls believers to live wisely in evil times. Wisdom must guide us as we seek to embody the mystery of Christ in the present.
Specifically, for this post, Ephesians 5:15-21 provides this guidance:
- Walk wisely, redeem the time (not as unwise, but wise)
- Discern the will of God, avoid foolishness (not foolish, but understand)
- Be filled with the Spirit, avoid drunkenness (not drunk, but filled with Spirit)
The imperatives–five total in 5:15-21–are:
- Be careful (5:15)
- Do not be foolish (5:17)
- But understand (5:18)
- Do not become drunk with wine (5:19)
- Be filled with the Spirit (5:19)
Wisdom, discernment, and the filling of the Spirit empower walking in a worthy manner amidst an ungodly and often hostile culture. This wisdom, discernment, and filling is not primarily individual or personal (though it does not exclude such). Rather, it is communal. This is how we live together in community as we seek to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
It seems the backdrop for this section is wisdom literature, specifically Proverbs. For example, the imperative, “don’t be drunk with wine” (5:19) is a direct duplication (even quotation) from Proverbs 23:31, which describes the dangers of excess wine (see also Proverbs 20:1). Also, the language of wise and foolish is frequent in Proverbs (e.g., Proverbs 10:23; 23:9), and the call to understanding (discernment) is the topic of Proverbs 2:1-9). Even the language of “debauchery” (ἀσωτία) occurs only twice in the LXX. One is in Proverbs 28:9 [gluttons], and the other is about the temple in 2 Maccabees 6:4. While Paul may have in mind a banquet setting, even a cultic ritual (though that is unnecessary), the broader context is Proverbs itself.
More specifically, when we are filled with the Spirit in our assemblies rather than drunk with wine like in an assembly in a gentile temple, banquet, or home, we gather together in the temple of the Spirit by (1) speaking the Psalter to each other; (2) singing and making melody together with our hearts to the Lord; (3) giving thanks to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ; and (4) submitting to each other out of reverence for Christ.
Is this an assembly context? Or, perhaps better, does this apply to the assembly, though not only referencing the assembly?
SPECIAL TOPIC: PSALMS, MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, AND EPHESIANS 5:19
Reading Ephesians 5:18-19 in light of the Psalms[1]
- The Temple Context: Filled with the Presence of God.[2]
Ephesians 5:18 – “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit” (μὴ μεθύσκεσθε οἴνῳ, ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν ἀσωτία, ἀλλὰ πληροῦσθε ἐν πνεύματι).
2 Chronicles 7:1 – “the glory of God filled the temple” (δόξα κυρίου ἔπλησεν τὸν οἶκον).
Ezekiel 43:5 – “The spirit lifted me up (ἀνέλαβέν με πνεῦμα), and brought me into the inner court; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple” (πλήρης δόξης κυρίου ὁ οἶκος).
Ezekiel 44:4 – “Then he brought me (εἰσήγαγέν με) by the way of the north gate to the front of the temple; and I looked, and lo! the glory of the Lord filled the temple of the Lord (πλήρης δόξης ὁ οἶκος κυρίου); and I fell upon my face.”
The temple language in Ephesians prepares us to hear this as a contrast between the temples/assemblies of the gentiles and the temple/assemblies of the people of God. To be filled with the Spirit is to experience the glory of God in God’s heavenly temple, and thus the people of God speak Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, sing, make melody, give thanks, and submit to one another as part of the assembly as God’s people which God fills with the Holy Spirit.
- The Psalm Context.
Ephesians 5:19 – “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” (ψαλμοῖς καὶ ὕμνοις καὶ ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς). Paul previously quoted Psalm 68 in Eph 4:8, which is a “A Psalm. A Song” (ψαλμὸς ᾠδῆς).
Psalm 67:0 [LXX, 66:1] – “To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song” (Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ἐν ὕμνοις· ψαλμὸς ᾠδῆς).
Psalm 76:0 [LXX, 75:1] – “To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song” (Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ἐν ὕμνοις· ψαλμὸς τῷ Ασαφ, ᾠδὴ πρὸς τὸν Ἀσσύριον).
The recitation or singing of Psalms was a communal event at the temple. The early assemblies of early church sang the Psalms, quoted the Psalms, heard the reading of the Psalms, and preached the Psalms (e.g., Hebrews). “Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” refers to the Psalter.
PSALTER TERMINOLOGY IN EPHESIANS 5:19-20
- Psalm – 72 usages in the Psalter (LXX).
- Hymn – 13 usages in the Psalter (LXX).
- Song – 44 usages in the Psalter (LXX).
- Sing – 24 usages in the Psalter (LXX).
- Play, make music – 33 usages in the Psalter (LXX).
PSALMS, HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL SONGS
ψαλμὸς (psalmos), Psalms: 87 times in the LXX, 67 times in the titles. Cf. Pss. 1; 4-9; 11-15, 19-25, 29-31, 38; 40-41, 43-51, 62-68; 73, 75-77, 79-85, 87-88, 92, 94, 98-101, 108-110, 138-141, 143. Most of the time it translates the Hebrew term rwmzm (mizmor, psalm of praise). It is also is the LXX title for the Psalter which translates the Hebrew term hlht (tehilla, praise).
ὕμνοις (hymnos), Hymns: 17 times in the LXX, 13 times in the titles. Cf. titles in Pss. 6, 54, 55, 61, 67, 76. See use of the term in 39:4; 65:1,13; 72:20; 119:171; 137:3; 148:14. “Hymning” is also well attested in the OT, cf. 2 Sam. 6:5; 22:1-2; 1 Chr. 15:22; 16:9, 42; 25:6; 2 Chr. 5:13; 7:6; 23:13,18; 29:30; 34:12; Neh. 12:24,27,36,46; Ps. 21:23; 71:8; Is. 12:4,5; 25:1; 42:10.
ᾠδῆς (odes), Songs: 80 times in the LXX, 45 of which are in the Psalms with 36 in the titles. Cf. Ps. 4,18,30,39,45, 48, 65-66, 75-76, 83, 87-88, 91-93, 95-96, 108, 120-134.
All three terms are used in two superscriptions:
Psalm 67:0 [LXX, 66:1] – “To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song” (Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ἐν ὕμνοις· ψαλμὸς ᾠδῆς).
Psalm 76:0 [LXX, 75:1] – “To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song” (Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ἐν ὕμνοις· ψαλμὸς τῷ Ασαφ, ᾠδὴ πρὸς τὸν Ἀσσύριον).
Conclusion:
1. Rigid distinctions between these terms did not exist in the Psalter.
2. Paul’s use of them implies no real distinction, and each can equally apply to various texts in the Psalter itself. Note: Philo and Josephus use the three terms interchangeably.
3. However, Paul’s use does not necessarily imply the exclusive use of the Psalter because of the evidence of non-Psalter hymns in the NT (contra Michael Bushell, The Songs of Zion: A Contempoary Case for Exclusive Psalmody, 2nd ed., 1993).
- The Language of the Text.
The language of Ephesians 5:19 duplicates and echoes the Psalter.
Ephesians 5:19 – “singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (ᾄδοντες καὶ ψάλλοντες τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν τῷ κυρίῳ).
Psalm 27:6 [LXX, 26:6]– “I will sing and make melody to the Lord” (ᾄσομαι καὶ ψαλῶ τῷ κυρίῳ)
Psalm 33:2 [LXX, 32:2] – “Praise the Lord with the lyre (ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ κυρίῳ ἐν κιθάρᾳ); make melody to him (ψάλατε αὐτῷ) with the harp of ten strings [ἐν ψαλτηρίῳ δεκαχόρδῳ].”
Psalm 57:7-8 [LXX, 56:8-9] – “My heart is steadfast, O God; my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody (ᾄσομαι καὶ ψαλῶ)! Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.”
Psalm 98:4-5 [LXX, 97:4-5) – “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises (ψάλατε τῷ κυρίῳ ἐν κιθάρᾳ, ἐν κιθάρᾳ καὶ φωνῇ ψαλμοῦ). Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody” (ψάλατε τῷ κυρίῳ ἐν κιθάρᾳ, ἐν κιθάρᾳ καὶ φωνῇ ψαλμοῦ).
Psalm 108:1-2 [LXX, 107:2-3] – “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make melody (ᾄσομαι καὶ ψαλῶ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ μου). Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.”
Psalm 144:9 [LXX, 143:9] – “I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you” (ὁ θεός, ᾠδὴν καινὴν ᾄσομαί σοι, ἐν ψαλτηρίῳ δεκαχόρδῳ ψαλῶ σοι).
Psalm 147:7 [LXX, 146:7] – “Sing (ἐξάρξατε) to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre (ψάλατε τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν ἐν κιθάρᾳ).”
The singing of the Psalms and making melody in the heart, given the language of the Psalter, included the presence of “mechanical instruments” such as the harp and the lyre. Ephesians 5:19 is soaked in the experience of the Psalms and their use in the temple. Paul envisions the activities of speaking, singing, making melody, giving thanks, and submitting as characteristics of the temple experience (or assembly experience) of worshipping as a community. The assembled people sing together, give thanks together, submit to one another in the temple of God, which is both the community as a whole and the assembly in particular. There is nothing in the text that excludes instruments but rather the context of the Psalter assumes the use of instruments.
[1] Some accessible resources contextualized by the discussion among Churches of Christ are: Bobby Valentine, “What are the Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of Ephesians 5.19?,” https://stonedcampbelldisciple.com/2020/11/30/what-are-the-psalms-hymns-and-spiritual-songs-of-ephesians-5-19/ and “‘Making Melody to the Lord . . .’ Paul’s Debt to the Psalter When Talking about Worship,” https://stonedcampbelldisciple.com/2017/04/03/making-melody-to-the-lord-pauls-debt-to-the-psalter-when-talking-about-worship/; also, Jay Guin, “The Fork in the Road: Eph 5:19 and the Psalms,” https://oneinjesus.info/2010/04/the-fork-in-the-road-learning-from-the-history-of-worship-part-5/ and in dialogue with Bruce Morton, “Ephesians 5:18-21: The Work of the Spirit Through Son in a World Under Siege,” https://oneinjesus.info/2010/04/an-experiment-in-christian-dialogue-a-post-by-bruce-morton-revised/.
[2] See Bobby Valentine, “Worshipping Through Ephesians: Dwelling in God’s Temple,” https://stonedcampbelldisciple.com/2018/04/16/worshiping-through-ephesians-dwelling-in-gods-temple/ and “Ephesians & The Temple: A Conceptual Framework, Afternoon Thoughts,” https://stonedcampbelldisciple.com/2023/05/21/ephesians-the-temple-a-conceptual-framework-afternoon-thoughts/
Ephesians 5:18-19 and Churches of Christ: The Use of Ephesians 5:19 in the Boswell-Hardeman Discussion (Nashville, 1923)[1]
These notes are summaries and quotations from N. B. Hardeman’s argument that Ephesians 5:19 excludes the use of instruments from the worshipping assemblies of the New Testament church.
- Absence of Instruments in Eph 5:19. There is no authorization by command, example, or inference in the New Testament for the use of “mechanical instruments” in the worship assemblies of the church. Hardeman: “with reference to worship, it was to be governed and guided purely by that which is taught in the New Testament, and without authority thereof, or plain, express declaration in a form unquestioned, nothing was to be had. . . Shall we be governed by what God says, or shall we be left every man to do after that which is in his own heart. . . if there be not a ‘Thus saith the Lord’ for that act of public worship of the church of God, I want to drop it. . . since the New Testament says not a word about instrumental music, the organ must forever go, for there is not a shadow of a shade of an intimation of a mention of the mechanical instrument through all of the New Testament. If silence, therefore, is to be regarded, there is absolutely no hope for my opponent. . . Where is the direct command? Where is the practice? Where is the inference?” (40, 42, 118, 187, 190).
- Brief Response: this assumes that the New Testament intends to provide a specific blueprint for the praise of God in Christian assemblies; it assumes the musical instruments are not expediencies in the same way brick and mortar buildings are (there is not “Thus said the Lord” for buildings); and it fails to see how the harp is part of temple assemblies (in which Christians participated in Acts) and the assemblies around the throne of God in Revelation (whose descriptions are dependent upon temple contexts).
- The command to sing. Ephesians 5:19 specifies “sing” and “making melody in the heart,” and therefore excludes all coordinate actions. The “sing” excludes “playing.” Hardeman: “Now, get it, when God says ‘sing’ and ‘make melody in the heart,’ that forbids making it upon a mechanical instrument . . . God says ‘sing;’ and when you play, you do that which God has not commanded or granted the right, and, hence, you have no liberty. . . There is music. How many kinds. Just two. Are they subordinate one to another, as cane is to walk? O, no! They are coordinate terms. Out of these two coordinate expressions, God picked out one and said ‘sing.’ Therefore, the instrument, which is the coordinate term, cannot by any process of logic be made as a supplement unto another equal, coordinate” (148, 168, 203).
- Brief Response: this assumes a legal or positivistic reading of the text. Singing does not, in itself, exclude playing. Typical in the Psalms, for example, is singing and playing, and sometimes only singing is mentioned but this did not exclude playing. A positivistic reading ignores the context of the Psalter upon which Paul’s language depends. To think in terms of “coordinates” is to assume the text is intended as a legal document, and it assumes a particular kind of pattern (a blueprint) pattern is intended by the New Testament documents. The application of “coordinate” legal language is inappropriate to the genre of Ephesians.
- Eph 5:19 specifies the instrument. It is the heart, and thus all other instruments are excluded. Hardeman: “What is the instrument? God has said, and he said the instrument with which you ‘psall’ is the human heart. . . What is the instrument? Paul says it is the heart, and that forever settles the matter” (78, 104).
- Brief Response: The heart is not the instrument of psallo (playing). When the Psalms describe the instrument they use a preposition like in or by (ἐν)–this preposition identifies the instrument. The use of the dative with heart reflects the manner. It is an internal point. Believers sing and play with their hearts, and when we recognize that language as the language of the Psalms, the use of instruments is assumed.
- “Making melody” does not include mechanical instrumentation. If making melody (ψάλλοντες) assumes the use of mechanical instruments (particularly as an implied command), then everyone must participate in making melody (playing an instrument) and such music is a commanded requirement rather than an expedient. Hardeman: “if the word means that and you cannot obey God without doing that, how can a man say that I can worship either with or without the instrument? . . . ‘Psallontes’—making melody. Who? Plural—every one of you. If it means mechanical instrument, Brother Boswell, it cannot be fulfilled until each member has an organ himself and each one plays on it. . . [Psallontes] “cannot be done by proxy” (57, 103, 166).
- Brief Response: Psallontes (ψάλλοντες), throughout its usage in the LXX, first century, and later centuries refers to musical instrumentation. Singing and playing (as participles, not imperatives) are not commands in the strict sense. They describe how or in what circumstances we experience the filling of the Spirit. This does not mean everyone needs to sing and play at the same time, anymore than no one could offer an individual thanksgiving in the assembly. The language does not entail that everyone both sing and play anymore than such language requires such in the Psalms.
[1] Ira M. Boswell and N. B. Hardeman, Boswell-Hardeman Discussion on Instrumental Music in the Worship Conducted in the Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tenn., May 31 to June 5, 1923 (Nashville: Gospel Advocate, 1924). Ebook is available through Google: https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=q5H-tGI0F6AC&pg=GBS.PA4&hl=en
I think Paul envisions a temple environment where we are filled with the Spirit that results, like in the Psalter, singing and making melody. In the Psalms, this included instrumentation, the use of instruments of music. I think Paul thinks this as well. It does not require instruments but rather it is one result of being filled with the Spirit (just as in the Psalter, where the temple was filled with the presence of God). Paul is not commanding but reflecting on results or consequences of the infilling of the Spirit as the community gathers to praise God together.
The heart is not the instrument. The heart is engaged and expresses itself through song and making melody. The heart is the movement of the soul towards God. We sing with the heart, and we play with the heart. In the Psalter, when an instrument is specified, the LXX utilizes a preposition such as “on the harp.” There is no preposition in Ephesians 5:19, rather it is a dative (indirect object) construction, that is, “with the heart” (but no preposition in Greek). If the heart were regarded as an instrument, then Paul would have, like the Psalter, use a preposition “on (ἐν, en) the heart).
When we are walking wisely, we seek to be filled with the Spirit rather than drunk with wine. When we are filled with the Spirit, the result is (a consequence, or even perhaps a means) praise, thanksgiving, and mutuality within the community!
We will talk more about “mutual submission” in the next lesson.
Appendix: Uses of Psallo in the Septuagint’s (LXX) Psalter
With Dative (to sing/praise/play to…)
Psalm 9:3 (9:2, NRSV) ψαλῶ τῷ ὀνόματί σου, ὕψιστε.
Psalm 9:12 (9:11) ψάλατε τῷ κυρίῳ
Psalm 12:6 (13:5) ψαλῶ τῷ ὀνόματι κυρίου
Psalm 17:50 (I8:49) τῷ ὀνόματί σου ψαλῶ
Psalm 26:6 (27:6) ᾄσομαι καὶ ψαλῶ τῷ κυρίῳ.
Psalm 29:5 (30:4) ψάλατε τῷ κυρίῳ,
Psalm 29:13 (30:12) ψάλῃ σοι ἡ δόξα μου
Psalm 46:7 (47:6) ψάλατε τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν, ψάλατε,
Psalm 46:7 (47:6) ψάλατε τῷ βασιλεῖ ἡμῶν, ψάλατε,
Psalm 60:9 (61:8) ψαλῶ τῷ ὀνόματί σου
Psalm 65:2 (66:2) ψάλατε δὴ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ,
Psalm 65:4 (66:4) ψαλάτωσάν σοι, ψαλάτωσαν τῷ ὀνόματί σου
Psalm 67:5 (68:4) ᾄσατε τῷ θεῷ, ψάλατε τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ
Psalm 67:33 (68:32) ψάλατε τῷ κυρίῳ.
Psalm 67:34 (68:33) ψάλατε τῷ θεῷ
Psalm 70:23 (71:23) ψάλω σοι,
Psalm 74:10 (75:9) ψαλῶ τῷ θεῷ Ιακωβ·
Psalm 91:2 (92:1) ψάλλειν τῷ ὀνόματί σου,
Psalm 103:33 (104:33) ψαλῶ τῷ θεῷ μου
Psalm 104:2 (105:2) ᾄσατε αὐτῷ καὶ ψάλατε αὐτῷ
Psalm 134:3 (135:3) ψάλατε τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ
Psalm 137:1 (138:1) ψαλῶ σοι.
Psalm 145:2 (146:2) ψαλῶ τῷ θεῷ μου
With instrument preposition but dative object (to play on something to someone)
Psalm 143:9 (144:9) ἐν ψαλτηρίῳ δεκαχόρδῳ ψαλῶ σοι
With Preposition (to play on the instrument or among the nations)
Psalm 32:2 (33:2) ἐν ψαλτηρίῳ δεκαχόρδῳ ψάλατε αὐτῷ.
Psalm 32:3 (33:3) καλῶς ψάλατε ἐν ἀλαλαγμῷ.
Psalm 56:10 (57:9) κύριε, ψαλῶ σοι ἐν ἔθνεσιν
Psalm 70:22 (71:22) ψαλῶ σοι ἐν κιθάρᾳ, ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ Ισραηλ.
Psalm 97:4 (98:5) ψάλατε τῷ κυρίῳ ἐν κιθάρᾳ, ἐν κιθάρᾳ καὶ φωνῇ ψαλμοῦ·
Psalm 100:2 (101:2) ψαλῶ καὶ συνήσω ἐν ὁδῷ ἀμώμῳ
Psalm 107:2 (108:1) ᾄσομαι καὶ ψαλῶ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ μου
Psalm 107:4 (108:3) ψαλῶ σοι ἐν ἔθνεσιν,
Psalm 146:7 (1047:7) ψάλατε τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν ἐν κιθάρᾳ,
Psalm 149:3 (149:3) ἐν τυμπάνῳ καὶ ψαλτηρίῳ ψαλάτωσαν αὐτῷ,
With accusative (sing and play)
Psalm 20:14 (21:13, NRSV) ᾄσομεν καὶ ψαλοῦμεν τὰς δυναστείας σου.
Nothing following (sing and play)
Psalm 56:8 (57:7) ᾄσομαι καὶ ψαλῶ.
Psalm 97:4 (98:4) ἀγαλλιᾶσθε καὶ ψάλατε·